Five Gujarat tourists among six killed as SUV plunges into Himachal gorge

A tragic road accident in the early hours of Monday claimed the lives of six individuals, including five tourists from Gujarat and a local driver, when their SUV skidded off a rain-slicked road and fell into a deep ravine near Kakira in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district. The victims, who were traveling from Manali to Dalhousie, met with the accident around 3 am amidst severe weather conditions.

According to local authorities, the deceased have been identified as Lalit Bhai Fatnani, his wife Mamta Ben Fatnani, Priyank Kanihya Lal Bhopani, his wife Kajal Bhopani, and their son Divyansh Bhopani, all hailing from Bhavnagar, Gujarat. The driver of the Innova Crysta, Jaswant Kumar, a resident of Mandi district, also died on the spot. Preliminary investigations indicate that the vehicle lost traction on a narrow, single-lane road and tumbled approximately 150 meters down the hillside.

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Four other passengers survived the crash but sustained serious injuries. Three of the survivors, Mayank Lalit Bhai Fatnani, Forem Ben Mayank Fatnani, and two children, Jiyansh Fatnani and Priyanshi Bhopani, are currently receiving specialized treatment at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College and Hospital (RPGMC) in Tanda, Kangra. Medical officials have noted that three of the injured remain in critical condition due to severe head trauma.

Superintendent of Police, Chamba, Vijay Kumar Saklani, confirmed that there were ten occupants in the vehicle at the time of the mishap. He noted that the tourists belonged to two families from Gujarat and that the crash occurred during a period of heavy rainfall. Chamba Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal expressed his condolences and urged travelers to strictly adhere to weather alerts issued by the meteorological department to avoid such fatalities.

The district administration has initiated the process of providing ex gratia relief to the families of the victims. Meanwhile, the bodies have been moved to a government hospital for post-mortem examinations, and local police have registered a case to further investigate the exact cause of the crash. Family members of the deceased in Gujarat have been formally notified of the tragedy.